Possession, interference, hands, feet, ground, refs, replays, blah, blah, blah. Good grief. All of this is reminding me why my heart still lies with real football, although I never get to see it...

Wow! Are you really saying that? If I had to rate which refs I yell at at the TV most I would say FIFA refs rank the ALL-TIME worst! At least the NFL doesn't routinely disqualify TDs like FIFA refs erase so many goals, and at least our calls aren't so abritrary and a matter of judgment but rather the straight forward rules. Our fouls are obvious, not up to the ref, and our games end when the clock says so, not when the ref arbitrarily decides to blow the whistle!

I would put NBA refs as the second worst, but after Tim Donaghy that goes without saying, and then NFL refs, where of course it is American culture and tradition to curse vehemently at the TV at them with gut wrenching passion

stay blessed,habte selassie

You do realize he was talking about Rugby Union...?

No. My mistake As to rugby and its more viscious cousin Australian Rules Football, I have never been able to make sense of that chaotic sport..stay blessed,habte selassie

Logged

"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

Possession, interference, hands, feet, ground, refs, replays, blah, blah, blah. Good grief. All of this is reminding me why my heart still lies with real football, although I never get to see it...

Wow! Are you really saying that? If I had to rate which refs I yell at at the TV most I would say FIFA refs rank the ALL-TIME worst! At least the NFL doesn't routinely disqualify TDs like FIFA refs erase so many goals, and at least our calls aren't so abritrary and a matter of judgment but rather the straight forward rules. Our fouls are obvious, not up to the ref, and our games end when the clock says so, not when the ref arbitrarily decides to blow the whistle!

I would put NBA refs as the second worst, but after Tim Donaghy that goes without saying, and then NFL refs, where of course it is American culture and tradition to curse vehemently at the TV at them with gut wrenching passion

stay blessed,habte selassie

You do realize he was talking about Rugby Union...?

No. My mistake As to rugby and its more viscious cousin Australian Rules Football, I have never been able to make sense of that chaotic sport..stay blessed,habte selassie

I play both. AFL has more running and need more conditioning, but Rugby is more violent. But Football (aka Soccer) is my favourite by leaps and bounds, it requires the most skill and a balance of finesse and strength (and I was born to play it).

I play both. AFL has more running and need more conditioning, but Rugby is more violent. But Football (aka Soccer) is my favourite by leaps and bounds, it requires the most skill and a balance of finesse and strength (and I was born to play it).

To that I can whole-heartedly agree

stay blessed,habte selassie

Logged

"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

Possession, interference, hands, feet, ground, refs, replays, blah, blah, blah. Good grief. All of this is reminding me why my heart still lies with real football, although I never get to see it...

Wow! Are you really saying that? If I had to rate which refs I yell at at the TV most I would say FIFA refs rank the ALL-TIME worst! At least the NFL doesn't routinely disqualify TDs like FIFA refs erase so many goals, and at least our calls aren't so abritrary and a matter of judgment but rather the straight forward rules. Our fouls are obvious, not up to the ref, and our games end when the clock says so, not when the ref arbitrarily decides to blow the whistle!

I would put NBA refs as the second worst, but after Tim Donaghy that goes without saying, and then NFL refs, where of course it is American culture and tradition to curse vehemently at the TV at them with gut wrenching passion

stay blessed,habte selassie

You do realize he was talking about Rugby Union...?

No. My mistake As to rugby and its more viscious cousin Australian Rules Football, I have never been able to make sense of that chaotic sport..stay blessed,habte selassie

I play both. AFL has more running and need more conditioning, but Rugby is more violent. But Football (aka Soccer) is my favourite by leaps and bounds, it requires the most skill and a balance of finesse and strength (and I was born to play it).

I would disagree, and say rugby 7s has association football beat, but it comes in a close second, and I could be persuaded the other way too

I would disagree, and say rugby 7s has association football beat, but it comes in a close second, and I could be persuaded the other way too

I think Rugby 7's is less challenging than either 15's, AFL, or Football (from my experience), but to each, his own.

I've always thought 7s overly emphasizes speed. Rugby Union has a place for the big guy, the little guy, the fast guy, the good kicker, everything. In 7s, if you're not fast, you are a liability to your team, regardless of any other talent you bring to the field. I don't dislike 7s, but I definitely consider it a far different sport than regular Rugby.

Oh, and speaking of Aussie Rules, a) I do like the sport, thought I've never played it; and b) you really gotta watch a video produced by the league featuring a special version of Kevin Johnson's "Rock-n-Roll I gave you all the best years of my life". I'll see if I can dredge up a link...

Kevin Johnson is an Australian musician whose (perhaps) greatest claim to fame was a song he wrote about being unable to become famous in the world of 1960s (American) Rock-n-Roll. "Rock-and Roll, I gave you all the best years of my life" still gets significant play time in Europe, and is probably in my top 25. A few years ago, Aussie Rules Football, when celebrating their 100th anniversary, commissioned a "special version" of his song -- "Aussie Rules I thank you for hte best years of our lives". Check it out here. Pretty cool. And while you're at it, a YouTube search easily finds versions of the original as well. Nice song. Nice singer. Enjoy.

I would disagree, and say rugby 7s has association football beat, but it comes in a close second, and I could be persuaded the other way too

I think Rugby 7's is less challenging than either 15's, AFL, or Football (from my experience), but to each, his own.

I've always thought 7s overly emphasizes speed. Rugby Union has a place for the big guy, the little guy, the fast guy, the good kicker, everything. In 7s, if you're not fast, you are a liability to your team, regardless of any other talent you bring to the field. I don't dislike 7s, but I definitely consider it a far different sport than regular Rugby.

I fully agree with you, i love XVs, it is my favourite, but i know i would get killed in 7s,or at least have a hard time playing (im a flanker, so i could do it, but)

In a month, the NBA season starts. It should be interesting to see how the Lakers will be with the addition of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, and how the Celtics will be with their NBA Draft signings and free agent acquisitions.

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Why I do truly love Lebron James? It is because he has mastered the point-forward position, which is my all-time favorite.

Quote

“I think it’s pretty cool,” James said. “I’ve always looked at Scottie Pippen and of course Magic [Johnson]. Magic was a 6-9 point guard who could also play different positions. Pip played point forward in the triangle offense. Grant Hill, when he was in his prime in Detroit, was also kind of that point forward guy.”

There have indeed been numerous point forwards -- i.e., small forwards who ran the offense -- with Pippen often recognized as the player who defined the role.

ESPN.com

Magic Johnson, Scotty Pippen, and Grant Hill are almost my all-time favorite players and practically in that order, and it is no coincidence, they all also played great at point-forward

In a month, the NBA season starts. It should be interesting to see how the Lakers will be with the addition of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, and how the Celtics will be with their NBA Draft signings and free agent acquisitions.

How will the two contrasting NBA styles mesh well? Nash and Pau/Howard will be beasts at the pick and roll, but Kobe is a Iso shooter from the Allen Iverson hero-ball era? I think personally it is going to be a serious challenge for them. Also, who is going to back up Nash? I am a diehard Steve Nash fan (you have to be if you are in LA because Suns are our sickest traditional rival aside from the Jazz) and I can tell you, that brother needs 4-6 SOLID minutes of rest on the bench each quarter. I can't tell you how many Suns games I've found myself yelling at the TV for Steve to just get up and play a minute or two as they go from a 10 point lead to a 10 point deficit, but NOTHING, that brother is fixed like a tree to that bench. It is how he has been able to actually IMPROVE with age, and is playing at 38 better then almost every other PG in the NBA. Dragic was the Suns' secret to make Nash work to his best potential, and that is how Phoenix got to the Conference Finals in 2010. Will Steve Blake (haha!!!) actually be able to back that up? I will tell you RIGHT NOW who the Lakers are going to miss more than anything, and it just might keep them out of the Conference Finals let alone the Big Dance. Ramon Sessions. Sessions had the first double-double assist game for the Lakers since Magic Johnson! We will miss that ability to distribute the ball Steve Nash style..

stay blessed,habte selassie

« Last Edit: September 28, 2012, 10:44:53 PM by HabteSelassie »

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"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Quote

James’ 27.6 career scoring average is the highest among active players, and third-highest all-time behind only Michael Jordan (30.12) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.07).

James has averaged at least 25 points in each of the last eight seasons, tied with Kobe Bryant for the longest active streak in the NBA. Only Bryant has more such seasons overall among active players with 11.

Most Seasons With 30+ PERNBA HistorySeasonsMichael Jordan 4LeBron James 3<<Wilt Chamberlain 3Shaquille O’Neal 3>>30.8 PER led NBA in '11-12

Efficiency James’ impact on the game is shown in his Player Efficiency Rating. PER, created by ESPN.com’s John Hollinger, is the overall rating of a player’s per-minute statistical production. The league average PER is 15.0 every season.

James has surpassed 30 three times in his career, including an NBA-high 30.8 PER last season. Only Michael Jordan has had more seasons with a PER over 30 in NBA history.

All Around Impact James has averaged at least 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in six of his nine seasons in the league, tied for the most in NBA history with Oscar Robertson.

Looking ahead, James enters this season seeking his fourth league MVP, which would put him on a short list that includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (5) and Wilt Chamberlain (4).

ESPN True Hoop

That is simply LEGENDARY company. Hey Lebron haters, one day you will all have to eat it, but so did all the Jordan haters (i.e. Suns, Jazz, Pistons, Lakers fans from the 1990s )

stay blessed,habte selassie

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"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

^ LeBron James most certainly is a legend. Comparing him to Michael Jordan (not that I'm accusing you of doing so) may bit a bit too far, but LBJ will nonetheless go down in history as one of the greatest NBA players ever. What do you think of the comparisons?

^ LeBron James most certainly is a legend. Comparing him to Michael Jordan (not that I'm accusing you of doing so) may bit a bit too far, but LBJ will nonetheless go down in history as one of the greatest NBA players ever. What do you think of the comparisons?

Those were statistical comparisons which serve to suggest that Lebron has that kind of potential by what is demonstrated by his game. In reality there is no comparisons between Jordan to anybody, or Magic to anybody, or Shaq to anybody, or Kareem to anybody. Each of these players are in their own right some of the best of all-time. However, what puts them all together is that their stat lines are all very similar, and similarly impressive. That is where Lebron ranks with them, not necessarily in career achievements yet (after all Lebron is 28, the same age all those guys but Magic got started steam-rolling other players and teams) so if the history of basketball by the numbers is any indication, like the Game same, "My future is bright like Lebron's and we'll crash any party."

I will say this, considering how ridiculously EFFICIENT Lebron is with assists and a high shooting percentage, I can't for the life of me figure out why is PER is almost 4 points bellow Jordan who was a notorious scorer and ball-hog rather than the kind of distributor that Magic and Lebron kind of point-forward players, because PER is determined by efficiency ??

To me, nobody can touch Magic Johnson, but that is an opinion, statistics are another matter than opinions

By the way, I see David Stern got the message from the international public outrage about declining "integrity" in the NFL and it looks like next season in the NBA we might FINALLY start penalizing the FLOP fiasco and bring back some integrity to the NBA (well, whatever integrity we can salvage from the post-Tim Donaghy world)

stay blessed,habte selassie

« Last Edit: September 29, 2012, 12:48:11 AM by HabteSelassie »

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"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

I believe in regards to terrible sports fans (In America, if it were international just about ALL of Polish cities would top the lists) the list goes

1) Boston 2) Philly 3) Cleveland (there is reason everyone always kicks cleveland teams in the scrotum, its because a lot of the times they deserve it 4) Los Angeles5) Dallas

From Grantland.com the Bill Simmons mailbag (one of my weekly favs )

Quote

: We rioted against the real refs? Remember?God may hate Cleveland, but deep down, we kind of hate everyone else.—Adam, Cleveland

SG: My bad, my bad. I have no excuse. Cleveland's already lost enough. At the very least, you should have been the no. 2 co-favorites with Philly. By the way, only Cleveland fans would complain about being left off a "Which fans are the most likely ones to be involved in a replacement referee riot?" debate.

To be sure, Laker and Raider fans would equally fight to be on the riot list, but again, Raiders are always a favorite, its a good chance that somebody is going to get knifed in the parking lot at a Raider game, and LA, well, we know how that goes, when we had the Raiders they had to GO BACK TO OAKLAND because it was safer. Oakland was safer!!

Speaking of Grantland and Oakland:

Quote

SG: In my mind, the Heyward-Bey hit should have ended the lockout — I watched that live with some friends and, for about three seconds, we actually thought he was dead. No flag! Nothing!

What is scary to think about is for a few seconds after that hit, I was literally thinking the exact same thing and until Darrius gave that thumbs up (ten minuted later!!) I was absolutely terrified that we just watched a Christopher Reeves moment for the NFL

stay blessed,habte selassie

« Last Edit: September 29, 2012, 03:11:38 PM by HabteSelassie »

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"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

I hope Rajon Rondo has a great year. If he improves his shooting, he'll be complete.

If he played for another team perhaps I could agree with you. I agree that Rajon is the best PG in the league hands down, but he plays for the biggest villain in sports! Did you hear how KG flat out dissed Ray Allen and said to "lose my number" ??

What is that? Lebron and KD are such great friends they practice together, Kobe routinely is friends with guys like CP3 and other rivals, after all its just work, meanwhile Jason Terry came out and said his mission is "to kill the heat and lakers" and KG is openly in the media dissing what used to be a very close friend of his? I am not a fan of bad-attitude basketball, and Boston is the epitome of that. If Rajon were smart, he'd take his superb talents to a team with a better approach, Doc Rivers may be a saint among coaches, but he should control his boys, they forget its not high school football out there

I still wish OKC would dump Perk, he is ruining Russ if you ask me!

stay blessed,habte selassie

« Last Edit: September 29, 2012, 08:07:00 PM by HabteSelassie »

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"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

Oh a day meant for barn-burners, when WV and Baylor left their D's behind and shot it out to begonders (yep, saw a good deal of the game), here's how my almae matres fared:

Cal began the goings-on by showing us all they know what mediocrity is by losing to Arizona State. TCU, in a game where Jupiter Pluvius was a significant player, pulled the Iron Skillet from the grasp of SMU, no small thanks to its vaunted defense and the Ponies' passing ineptitude. And Texas pulled out a barn-burner of its own against OSU in the Cowboys' crib. The 'Horns play the Mountaineers next week in Austin, and unless somebody's defense really gets on the stick, we're going to see another repeat of the fireworks in Morgantown.

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The end of the world is as near as the day of your death;watch and pray.

My Crimson Tide did not look good tonight in a sloppy 33-14 win over an awful Ole Miss team. And even worse, we had major injuries to four key players. As deep as we are, we may not be able to overcome the key injuries we've already sustained this early in the season. I'm guessing these injuries will cost us at least one game, and one loss is probably all it takes to keep us out of the National Championship. We have yet to play a quality opponent. We're good, but we're not as good as all the hype. We'll see if our young team can come back down to earth and demonstrate that they have the character and leadership to overcome the injuries, ignore the hype, and make the necessary adjustments. Right now, I would not feel confident playing Oregon. We have two weeks to get ready for away games at Missouri andTennessee.

Selam

« Last Edit: September 30, 2012, 03:42:58 AM by Gebre Menfes Kidus »

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"There are two great tragedies: one is to live a life ruled by the passions, and the other is to live a passionless life."Selam, +GMK+

This year I finally let down my guard and actually had faith I would finally be rooting for a team with a winning record. Serves me right for believing...

Elias sports bureau, Habte's favorite, says in MLB history 500 teams have had a record 16 games above .500 going into late august. NONE of those teams ever finished below .500.

We are witnessing the apex of suck.

In the last 20 years EVERY team in NFL, NHL, MLB, & NBA has made the playoffs atleast once. That is except for the Pirates and KC Royals (who haven't done it in 25).

Pathetic.

Everything you are saying is true, but i can finally bring some optimism to my Pirates fanhood

The pirates were in the CHANCE to collapse, and will finish the season with less than 90 losses for the first time since 2004, where they lost 89 games. With losing the next four games (aka worst possible record), the pirates will finish 77-85, their best record since 1999.

Also, the pirates have the chance to not have a losing season this year still, and finish at .500, which in my mind would break the streak of losing seasons.

This year I finally let down my guard and actually had faith I would finally be rooting for a team with a winning record. Serves me right for believing...

Elias sports bureau, Habte's favorite, says in MLB history 500 teams have had a record 16 games above .500 going into late august. NONE of those teams ever finished below .500.

We are witnessing the apex of suck.

In the last 20 years EVERY team in NFL, NHL, MLB, & NBA has made the playoffs atleast once. That is except for the Pirates and KC Royals (who haven't done it in 25).

Pathetic.

Elias is G yo!

Don't feel bad my brother, I'm in LA, we been rooting for the Dodgers for no reason other than pure community love since we last won a Series in... 1988!!!! Last year we had both the best hitter AND pitcher in the NL, and what? No play-offs. This year, we were FIVE games ahead of THE ENTIRE MLB at the all-star break, and now what? It is what is as we say in the hood..

At the start of the 2010 season we had a great run in May. My grampz (who raised me as a son) was in a coma, I had the games on for background noise because my gramps listened to EVERY single Dodger game on the radio since those catz were in Brooklyn yo! One game I was with him in the ICU (as usual, I had the open work schedule so I had primary duties) and he literally woke up temporarily from his coma to say, "How are the Dodgers?" I told him through tears, "Wow Grandpa! You're awake (he had been out for three days). Surprisingly the Dodgers are doing well, they just had a five game win streak and their suddenly leading the MLB at least this early in the season. Maybe its our year?" He told me, "See, I told you they could do it." We didn't make the play-offs then either, and those were literally his last words to me

In other words it could be worse my brother

stay blessed,habte selassie

« Last Edit: September 30, 2012, 06:38:17 PM by HabteSelassie »

Logged

"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Haha! Take that Saints! Who Dat thought being thugs could win games, Atlanta is steadily proving that nice guys CAN win games too

Mark my words here and quote them, this is perhaps the ONLY time I rooted for the Packers, and I am glad they came through at the end, I was starting to get worried that New Orleans was going to get that one. Somebody asked me last week, "What is Atlanta's best advantage this season?" I replied, "That the Saints are 0-3 in their division." Looks like Falcons are doing all the better with an 4-0 start to balance New Orleans 0-4!!

stay blessed,habte selassie

Logged

"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

Greetings in that Divine and Most Precious Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Haha! Take that Saints! Who Dat thought being thugs could win games, Atlanta is steadily proving that nice guys CAN win games too

Mark my words here and quote them, this is perhaps the ONLY time I rooted for the Packers, and I am glad they came through at the end, I was starting to get worried that New Orleans was going to get that one. Somebody asked me last week, "What is Atlanta's best advantage this season?" I replied, "That the Saints are 0-3 in their division." Looks like Falcons are doing all the better with an 4-0 start to balance New Orleans 0-4!!

stay blessed,habte selassie

The falcons game today gave me grey hair and took at least 5 years off my life.... But I LOVE watching Scam Newton go down, especially in such devastating fashion!

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

You may not care, but Chipper Jones took the field today for the last regular season home game of his career. i cried. My childhood is over...

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

Haha! Take that Saints! Who Dat thought being thugs could win games, Atlanta is steadily proving that nice guys CAN win games too

Mark my words here and quote them, this is perhaps the ONLY time I rooted for the Packers, and I am glad they came through at the end, I was starting to get worried that New Orleans was going to get that one. Somebody asked me last week, "What is Atlanta's best advantage this season?" I replied, "That the Saints are 0-3 in their division." Looks like Falcons are doing all the better with an 4-0 start to balance New Orleans 0-4!!

stay blessed,habte selassie

The falcons game today gave me grey hair and took at least 5 years off my life.... But I LOVE watching Scam Newton go down, especially in such devastating fashion!

Until the first games of this season, and that sick 13-3 run the season two seasons ago, isn't graying hair part of being an Atlanta fan in the first place?

By the way, Matty Ice is officially the longest home winning streak in the NFL right now at 32-4 at the GeorgiaDome. Joe Flacco is second with 30-5 at Baltimore.

This is really turning out to be a great season for me

stay blessed,habte selassie

« Last Edit: September 30, 2012, 09:16:21 PM by HabteSelassie »

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"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10

I just have a feeling about this year.... All of my teams (Braves, Falcons, UGA) are good, and one of them... just ONE of them... is bound to do something!!!!

But then again, ive been a sports fan in this town my whole life. I know how it goes...

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Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

I just have a feeling about this year.... All of my teams (Braves, Falcons, UGA) are good, and one of them... just ONE of them... is bound to do something!!!!

But then again, ive been a sports fan in this town my whole life. I know how it goes...

Haha, I noticed you didn't mention the Hawks, perhaps for good reason

I was saying that last spring about LA teams, when the Lakes/Clippers, Dodgers, and Kings were all contending for a Championship. Glad it was the Kings year, they deserve it the MOST, but as I mentioned about, the Dodgers decline from best in the MLB to one of the worst hitting teams in the past two months is disgustingly embarrassing because its been a pattern the past decade at least..

stay blessed,habte selassie

Logged

"Yet stand aloof from stupid questionings and geneologies and strifes and fightings about law, for they are without benefit and vain." Titus 3:10